Technical Information

VMC provides a strong technical information and application support group. This page provides references and guides to answer common questions and provide access to some of our technical reports.

• Coating verses Plating: There is a great misunderstanding as to the process or processes involved in obtaining a decorative or functional surface finish. Plating, a very old process, is defined as the placing of a part into a wet chemically filled tank. In almost all cases, plating requires multiple coating tanks to transfer a material electrochemically onto a part. These processes are very environmentally unfriendly. They require very hazardous and dangerous chemicals. Plating processes are severely restricted in the US and Europe as a result of the chemicals used and the resulting hazardous waste issues.
  
  Vacuum Deposition systems, unlike plating, produce coatings that are manufactured in a vacuum chamber. The use of harsh chemicals is eliminated and as such the application process is very green and in complete compliance with clean manufacturing conditions and recyclability needs.
  
  While the end results may look similar, the manufacturing operations necessary to produce a finished product are enormously different.



• Measuring a Coating's Conductivity: The standard for measuring a coating's conductivity and therefore its compliance to a performance need is made through the use of 4 wire detectors. The values obtained are unique in that unlike most physical measurements this one is unitless.
  
  VMC has prepared a technical report that describes the process and the methodology behind this technique. For a copy, please click on the following link to download a PDF formatted report. Technical Information



• Design Considerations for Polymer Enclosures: VMC has prepared a guide to assist designers in meeting the latest requirements for EMI/RFI emissions compliance. For a copy, please click on the following link to download a PDF formatted report. Technical Information